By Ed Balint
The Repository
CANTON, Ohio — The city police officer fired for a pattern of verbal abuse and making threats is trying to get his job back.
Patrolman Daniel Harless is proceeding with the arbitration process, said Kristen Bates Aylward, an assistant city law director.
In January, Safety Director Thomas Ream fired Harless.
Bates Aylward said Thursday that she and the attorney representing Harless have tentatively settled on a neutral third-party arbitrator, who will be asked to hear the case.
Michael Piotrowski, an attorney with the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, is representing Harless. Piotrowski could not be reached for comment Thursday.
An arbitrator would rule if the firing was proper or decide if Harless should be reinstated. An arbitrator is selected through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an independent agency of the United States government that provides mediation and arbitration services.
The internal affairs division of the Police Department investigated three traffic stops involving Harless, each one filmed by a cruiser dash camera, including two incidents in 2010. Investigators said the officer had violated rules for conduct, cooperation with the public and handling persons.
The most controversial and publicized was a traffic stop in June involving a man with a permit to carry a concealed handgun.
During the June stop, Harless berated William Bartlett of Brewster, that “as soon as I felt your gun, I should have took two steps back, pulled my Glock 40 and just put 10 bullets in your ass and let you drop. And I wouldn’t have lost any sleep. Do you understand me?”
Harless, then 45, was a 14-year veteran of the department.
Last summer, video footage of the stop went viral after it was posted online by Ohioans for Concealed Carry. City officials were flooded with scores of emails attacking the city and its police department.
The incident was reviewed by an outside prosecutor who concluded Harless’ actions weren’t serious enough to warrant criminal charges.
Bill Adams, president of the Canton Police Patrolmen’s Association, has said that Harless was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after the June incident.
Adams said the condition was traced to an incident in 2003, when a suspect nearly bit off one of Harless’ fingers while trying to get the officer’s gun.
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